TSA officials share photo of "inert grenade" found in bag at Mitchell Airport

MILWAUKEE -- An "inert grenade" was discovered inside a bag at General Mitchell International Airport, according to a post on the TSA's Instagram account.

TSA officials shared a photo of the device on their Instagram page on Tuesday, May 2nd, along with this message:

"Call me crazy, but this contraption seems to be “locked” in on its target. This piece of art is prohibited due to the fact that it’s built around a grenade. While it is an inert grenade, we don’t know grenades are inert until our explosives professionals take a closer look, and that takes time and slows down the line. It can even lead to a complete shutdown and evacuation. Why aren’t they allowed you might ask? Good question. Would you like to see somebody pull a grenade out of their bag at 30,000 feet? This was discovered in a carry-on bag at Milwaukee (MKE)."




TSA officials told FOX6 News the passenger said this item was a sculpture. It was found on April 19th in a checked bag. They said their rule of thumb is, if an item looks like an explosive or a weapon, it will not be allowed on a plane.

In April, a 58-year-old Cudahy man was charged with mischief after officials found a mock improvised explosive device in his suitcase at Toronto's main airport.





The passenger, Joseph Galaska, was scheduled to travel on United Airlines flight 547 to Chicago.

All passengers and luggage were removed from the plane.

Passengers on the flight complained of long delays and said the plane sat on the tarmac for four hours.

Investigators said the incident was not terrorist related.